Getting every last ounce out of a jar/bottle/etc.

[pezzy84]

Who else does this?

As I converse I am waiting for a Method dish detergent refill pouch to drain completely into the counter pump dispenser. Mind you there is a full pouch under the counter that needs to be cracked open anyways to finish the fill up. Family has made fun of me for turning the ketchup or mustard bottle upside down in the fridge to get the last little bit. I do this with anything in a disposable/recyclable container - shampoo, body wash, detergents, etc.

Am I being neurotic or just overly frugal?

 

[CharBaby]

You are frugal and so am I.
I tip over all of my oil containers into a larger 5qt oil jug and let them drizzle before tossing them into the trash/recycle bin, for use in my OPE.

I grew up in humble means and we did the same thing with soaps, condiments etc. Nothing wrong with getting all that you paid for.

I am glad/happy for all of those who have so much money that they can waste and laugh at other expense.

 

[BigGeo]

Both of my parents lived through the Great Depression. I can relate. It’s all good, give yourself a break.

 

[4WD]

Sure folks were doing that with hand sanitizer recently

 

[toneydoc]

I do the same thing
There is no reason to waste product of any kind that is still good
It keeps it out of waste and recycle arenas
I say keep doing what you are doing as I applaude you

 

[FT92]

my wife does that with everything , myself ,not so much

 

[tc1446]

I was born in the Depression so for the first 10 years of my life I thought having very little was just the way it was! But the Xmas I got a BB gun instead of a bag of fruit and nuts, I knew we had it made! LOL Nothing ever went to waste.

 

[Ws6]

I live over 45 minutes round trip from even the nearest gas station store. You bet.

 

[PimTac]

I do it too. Learned it from my folks who grew up during the Depression and WW2.

Some packaging is not frugal friendly so I avoid buying those kinds of products. Having lived overseas for some time I got exposed to buying refills of many things like soap, oil, ketchup and mustard and so forth. I’m surprised that hasn’t caught on here. That would reduce end waste quite a bit.

 

[AZjeff]

Absolutely. I hate wasting something I paid for. Lots of ways to use things up. The very end of a bar of soap gets stuck to the new bar, a small rubber spatula cleans out the peanut butter jar nicely, draining oil bottles completely is a no brainer. Leftovers are next day lunch for me always.

You sound normal and responsible to me.

But, I won't run tires to 2/32s or 8-10 years and won't take a chance with food I think might be spoiled.

 

[Lubener]

I'm guilty. When I am done with a tube of toothpaste, you can slide it under a snake's belly.

 

[nomas]

I'm middle of the road about it . I like to get as much product as I can out of a container but I'm not obsessive about it .

 

[Spector]

Hmm, wife will then cut the plastic container in half and get the last drop of whatever is in it!

An age related trait, probably not done by people under 40 today.

 

[Leo99]

I worked with a guy with a pretty bad case of OCD or hoarding or something. Great guy. But he kept everything and wouldn't throw a thing away. His work area was filled with boxes and stuff and he barely had anyplace to put his legs under his desk. It took a while to notice all of his quirks because he's very friendly and outgoing. He had some hand lotion on his desk and it was empty to everyone else in the office. He squeezed until if was, a Lubener stated, flat enough to slide under a snake's belly. But that wasn't the end of it. The knife and scissors came out and he cut open the lotion container because there was a film on the inside of the container that he utilized for the next week until the lotion was truly exhausted.

I turn the ketchup bottle upside down but once it becomes a chore to get it out, it's done.

Was over a cousin's house for TG years ago. Guess the turkey was dry because he wanted ketchup. He pulled a new bottle out of the pantry and his wife threw a fit that they had to finish the old bottle first before opening the new one. The old bottle was upside down and on its death throes and my cuz felt since company was over we didn't need to struggle with the near empty bottle. His wife explained the errors of thinking. As a guest, it was uncomfortable.

My parents grew up during the Great Depression so I know all about the things they did and learned but I've rejected Herculean efforts to save 15 cents worth of ketchup or dish detergent. Although it does bother me a tiny bit if I don't use all the ketchup I've dispensed on my plate. Need to balance the condiment to food ratio so that you don't waste condiments.

 

[philipp10]

frugal and green. It's a good thing.

 

[gfh77665]

I turn bottles over too, especially with viscous materials like ketchup, shampoo, and laundry detergent. Speaking of the detergent, its concentrated and very viscous. My wife buys gallon jugs of it, and one day I heard her complain she ran out. I spoke up and told no, you haven't. She had three loads to do that day, so she did not believe me. I flipped the jug over at a 45 degree angle and told her to wait 10 minutes. It amazed her how much was left in that empty jug. We had three uses left, and then some. Now they all get flipped at the end.

 

[JHZR2]

Why wouldn’t you want to get every last drop of something? Especially since you paid for it, and especially if doing so isn’t time critical, and doesn’t necessarily require anything more than a little extra counter space (in the case of turning bottles upside down for example)?

I am absolutely frugal, though I do buy a lot of things and own a lot of stuff. Being frugal enables that. Anything else is wasteful and I think it’s pretty silly. Unless you’re on an actual paid clock where the time is worth more than the product, I see no reason not to make the attempt.

 

[Kestas]

frugal and green. It's a good thing.

Ditto. Don't forget the green part. It's not much trouble to turn a bottle upside down and park it overnight. If someone tries to shame me I answer, "What -- you don't?"

With stuff like laundry detergent I'll even rinse out the container into a load.

Some guys change their oil at work. I'll grab the empty quarts and drain about $1 worth of synthetic.

My parents weren't affected by the great depression as much as they were affected by war-ravaged Eastern Europe, living in DP camps, and immigrating to North America with nothing.

 

[Kira]

It's sad to see waste.
Emptying a jar / bottle before washing it for recycling makes recycling more effective. It lessens rats etc. from the recycling stream.
Anyone who can't understand that should be prevented from procreating.

Ohhhh I must be stoned or something. Let's all destroy the Earth as fast as we can! What was I thinking?

 

[AutoMechanic]

I try too lol. I don’t know a single person who has the ketchup right side up in the fridge they are made to sit on their lid. I try to get as much as I can as long as it doesn’t involve tearing up the bottle or container.